Loving To Hate The Enemy
by Jaylia
Summary: This story, both Professor Snape and McGonagall, though background characters, play as matchmakers for Draco and Hermione. With a few cliche get togethers, Hermione and Draco learn about the enjoyment they find in each other. May seem OOC at time. Oh! and


Author's Note 1: This is the first HP fic I ever finished and it's my first long-one-shot sort of thing. I really can't tell how it turned out because I'm the writer here not the reader. Plus I have ran so many ideas through my mind that they might have clashed and messed up the story. This story started out being called "Valentine's Kiss" with a whole different storyline (which I might work on later or something). Just an idea of things I went through. This was my third try at a different plot line (FOR ONE STORY!!! heehee) Thankfully, writing this has gotten me some better ideas about other fics I could write. Hopefully everyone will enjoy this!  
  
Author's Note 2: This fic is a gift fic to someone (I don't know who yet!) from the Dhr_Valentine exchange over at livejournal. There were 122 (I think) posted fics, plus gift fic so D/Hr for everyone! Go check it out! Anyway, enjoy! Leave a constructive comment (if you can :p)  
  
LOVING TO HATE THE ENEMY  
  
Professors McGonagall and Snape have been sent on a request, by Professor Dumbledore, to lead Hermione and Draco to the paths of friendship. Though it was because he needed them to be Head Girl and Boy the next year, he still left his reasons unknown, so the two Professors have to figure out how. The only problem is, that the two professors misinterpreted what Professor Dumbledore said and thought they had to help Hermione and Draco fall in love, absolutely the hardest thing to do to. Agreeing a plot, Snape and McGonagall separated their class into groups of four. So now, Hermione, Harry, Draco, and Pansy have been made study partners...  
  
"What?!" the whole Transfiguration class exclaimed when Professor McGonagall let the news out. Snape insisted she break the news to the class because she was better at it. Hah. Right. Minerva figured it was because the younger teacher was scared too.  
  
"You can't do this to us!" Ronald Weasley, a fiery red head boy called out. A few other classmates nodded in agreement, a few voicing their agreement.  
  
"And why can't I, Mr. Weasley? Give me a good reason why I can't?" Minerva asked, staring at the youngest Weasley boy. Ron turned as red as his hair, settling back in his seat in silence. "Now as I said, You will be grouped in groups of four, two people from the two houses. So everyone stand up and file in the back of the class. As I call your names, come to the front and sit in the first desk."  
  
Hermione looked over at Harry and Ron and squinted her eyes. "What happened? McGonagall and Snape teaming up on us?" She asked. Ron growled. "We will probably be separated in three different groups. Psh..."  
  
"Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger."  
  
This time Draco and Hermione had to object. "What?! Why do I have to be in a group with him/her!" They both exclaimed at the same time, pointing at each other.  
  
At this, everyone went silent including Professor McGonagall. No one really expected the two best students to object, despite the fact they both were the schools worst of enemies.  
  
"10 points from Slytherin and Gryffindor. Now to your desk." Minerva replied primly, nodding at the desk. Hermione stormed past Harry and Ron, and sat down at the edge of the desk, folding her hands on the top. Harry followed sullenly and slid down on the desk bench next to Hermione. Pansy Parkinson was wise to keep her mouth shut, sitting down next to Harry. Draco, on the other hand, sat next to Pansy and leaned over towards Hermione.  
  
"Hey Granger. When we do meet to study, make sure you keep your hair pulled back so it won't cover up all the notes," he whispered. Normally Harry would have reached over and threatened Draco and Pansy would have giggled at Draco's joke. But this time, they both looked over at Hermione, scared of what she would do.  
  
Hermione twitched, her mouth pulling up into a dangerous smirk. "And you make sure you wash your hair so your hair gel won't drip out on the books." She replied. Draco muttered something that sounded like 'bitch', but he still ran his hand through his hair as Hermione unconsciously turned her hair behind her ears.  
  
"Now that everyone is sorted..." Professor McGonagall went on explaining things to everyone as Harry looked over at Ron to see who his group was. He rolled his eyes as he noticed that Ron was pretty much satisfied with his group. Blaise Zabini and Malcolm Baddock were talking to themselves, while Ron was laughing at something Lavender Brown said.  
  
"This will be a month long project and I expect EVERYONE to have a suitable subject by then. This will also be required for Professor Snape's Potions class." McGonagall announced. Everyone froze again, looking over at Draco and Hermione for an outburst. "Well I'm glad everyone agrees. Class dismissed."  
  
*~*  
  
It was definitely a long day for Hermione. Snape was just as worse, if not more worse than McGonagall. She and Harry were sure that they would have to end up doing the project themselves if they were to get a good grade. Everyone at the Great Hall were busy chatting about their partners, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw groups were happy they got each other rather than the other two houses. Though, the majority of groups were pretty satisfied with their partners. It was only Hermione and Draco's group who were dissatisfied.  
  
"We should be going now, Harry. Prom Queen and The Ferret will be waiting." Hermione said pointedly, rising from her chair.  
  
"Uh right... See ya Ron." Harry replied, wanting to stay on Hermione's good side. Hermione walked out without a word to Ron, still pretty peeved.  
  
Draco saw Hermione and Harry leave the Great Hall and immediately grabbed Pansy's hand to lead her out. He was not going to let Hermione best him by taking charge. He would be in charge.  
  
*~*  
  
"Okay now that we all are here, I feel we should give out some ideas to each other about what our subject will be." Hermione cleared her throat and waited for someone to start. "Don't tell me you guys don't have any ideas..." She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"No one said that, Granger... No one also put you charge." Draco spoke up lazily, stretching out on the floor they were all sitting on.  
  
"Well who else will be in charge?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Why don't we all just stop arguing so we could get a good grade on this. Now Hermione can be in charge of the Transfiguration..." Harry suggested. Hermione looked pretty happy about this while Draco looked like he was about to say something. "And Malfoy will be in charge of the Potions. Pansy and I will just uh..."  
  
"We will just sit back and let the two bosses dictate us." Pansy said dryly, speaking up for the first time. Everyone looked at her as she sat bored with a mischievous smirk on her lips. Harry smiled a half smile at Pansy's dry attempt of humor. She rolled her eyes at Harry, in humor and Hermione and Draco.  
  
"Fine then." Hermione agreed while Draco grunted an agreement. "Okay well I have some ideas for potions already. You guys can pick which one you like because I really don't care." Draco muttered, loud enough for them to hear. He looked at everyone for any objections. Of course Pansy didn't, and Harry looked like he was trying to look extra interested. Hermione, on the other hand, just looked at the ceiling.  
  
"Okay..." Draco went on to explain his ideas, to which Hermione started to loosen up and put in her ideas about his subjects. By the end of the evening, they all decided to use 'Animagus Laws' for transfiguration and 'Legalizing Unforgivable potions' for potions.  
  
"Despite the fact we have time, we should work on reading these books all at once so we can get an idea of what we need to tackle." Hermione suggested, as Pansy yawned.  
  
"Shouldn't we write them in a journal of some sort. Maybe wizard's journal so that way all four of have one, but it can be linked." Pansy suggested, digging around in her bag. "I think I have just the ones..." She murmured, pulling out green, pink, red and yellow books.  
  
"Here... we can write everything in here." She said, taping each one with her wand with a charm. Harry looked pretty impressed with his red journal as Pansy handed it to him while Hermione was surprised. She didn't know that Pansy knew any charms.  
  
"Makes sense..." Hermione nodded, a little upset she didn't think about it.  
  
Draco immediately noticed this and looked up and met Hermione's eyes. "Mad you didn't think of it?" He asked.  
  
"You know what, Malfoy? Keep you're pale white nose out of my business." Hermione replied, slamming her notes closed and stuffing everything in her own bag. Harry sighed as his friend and Draco launched into an argument. He looked over at Pansy and nodded his head toward the door. She smiled and jumped up, tiptoeing around Draco to run off with Harry.  
  
"God I swear! Draco is most of the time rather non-irritating. But him and Granger? Ugh..." Pansy expressed when she and Harry stepped out of the classroom the four of them were using.  
  
"I don't know how you tolerate, Malfoy personally... but Hermione is always like that. Well no she does hold more of a grudge against Malfoy and she does to give him extra attention." Harry said thoughtfully.  
  
"If he wasn't a Malfoy, I'd think he was in love." She replied dryly.  
  
He laughed at her sarcasm. Which was rather odd... he never saw her as sarcastic. "Malfoy in love? Right." He smirked.  
  
Pansy and Harry continued to walk and talk for a little while, mainly about McGonagall and Snape pairing everyone. Harry thought it was rather funny that the Slytherins were scared of Pansy. When she told him this, he could sort of believe it. He looked her over, perfectly arched eyebrows, long and wavy dark brown hair, dark red lips, and mischievous eyes... yeah, he could believe it. She carried herself as if she was over everyone. It was then Harry unconsciously plotted to find her weak spot.  
  
He watched as a younger student passed and she gave them a haughty look, as if daring them to tell her something. Yeah... he knew it. It's a cover up. And he'd find it.  
  
*~*  
  
Hermione growled angrily as she marched into her common room. She glared at Harry before stomping over to him. Yep... Hermione definitely did NOT like the trick Pansy and Harry pulled on her. Leaving her there with Malfoy...  
  
"Harry. Nice to see you. Had fun with your rendezvous with Pansy?" She asked silkily.  
  
"Am I right to say you are angry?" Harry replied.  
  
"Ugh! Men!" She rolled her eyes and flopped on the couch and immediately started reading.  
  
"What did you do?" Ron whispered. Harry whispered back the whole story while Ron sniggered a little.  
  
"I'm RIGHT here!" Hermione grounded out. Harry and Ron both saluted Hermione with matching smirks. Hermione only let out a breath of irritation and stomped up to her room.  
  
*~*  
  
Over the next few days or so, Hermione and Draco had been in the library, trying to get all their reading done. It was like a silent contest that they both agreed to, trying to best the other. They'd sit at the same table in the same chairs, sitting right across form each other. Other students were scared to even look in that direction, in fear of getting poisoned by the tension that was building up between the two if them. Often at times, Draco would look over at Hermione when she was not looking, observing the way her hair stuck out from the ponytail she was wearing. Ever since he mentioned about her hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail. Whenever he thought of this, he'd run his fingers through his gel-less hair. Then he'd look back down at his book, embarrassed that he let that mud blood Granger, of all people, get to him.  
  
Hermione would then look up at Draco as his hair would fall in his face, silky and straight as ever. She felt quite satisfied that he did wash the hair gel out of his hair. He looked much better without it. She wondered if he thought she looked better with her hair pulled into that ponytail. She'd then scold herself for thinking that way and go back to her books. This went on every few hours till finally one of them got up and left. Meanwhile, Pansy and Harry were getting together and doing a little at a time and finding a common ground.  
  
"Ya know... My aunt and uncle are just like you described yours. Except I live with my parents, thankfully." Pansy remarked as Harry told her about the Durselys.  
  
"Lucky you." Harry replied, not bothering to look up from his reading.  
  
"Not really. My parents are rarely home. It's the typical, get-whatever-you- want-rich-girl thing. Get the drift?" She shrugged, mimicking his nonchalant attitude.  
  
"Well at least you aren't typical." Harry sighed and marked his book. He set it to the side and looked over at Pansy who did the same.  
  
"You think? Hah. Right. I'm a mean, cold-hearted itch who likes pulling tricks on those less fortunate than myself. I think that is typical." She snorted.  
  
Harry leaned close to Pansy and tapped her chin with his index finger. Pansy blinked in surprise then slowly pulled her lips into a smile. "If you were so cold-hearted, you wouldn't have smiled." He told her. She looked even more surprise as a light blush started to appear over her cheeks.  
  
Pansy leaned closer to him, tilting her head as he closed the rest of the space between them. Their lips barely brushed each other when Draco and Hermione burst in, arguing loudly.  
  
"Ugh! Granger you make me sick. Why can't you just keep your mouth shut and LET me handle my own?" they both heard Draco say as they jumped away from each other.  
  
"Because that is not the POINT of having a GROUP." Hermione replied, dropping her books down near Harry and Pansy's feet and flopping down next to them.  
  
Draco did the same, looking suspiciously at the pair that were there before Hermione and him."What are you guys all flushed for? You look like Weasley." He commented, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"It's called studying, Malfoy. I know you've never heard of it, but you'll learn BEFORE you graduate." Hermione said dryly, pulling out her pink journal.  
  
"Well obviously you've heard of it too much." Draco retorted, jerking his thumb towards her hair.  
  
"Ahem! Uh... want to go over all the material we have? Malfoy, want to start?" Harry spoke up before it got too late.  
  
"Whatever. Okay we were working on 'Legalizing Unforgivable Potions' and I've come up with why it should be legalized, why it shouldn't, different potions that may be alright to legalize and lethal unforgivable potions. All we need to do is take a stand." Draco tossed out his green notebook which was organized into notes and the speech.  
  
"Whoa... Hey that's great, Malfoy. Uh... well what does everyone think? Should we legalize them or not?" Harry felt kind of bad that he and Pansy hadn't done too much of the organization part, but he was sure they would make up for it in presentation.  
  
"I think they should be legalized. They are always reversible, if done in time, by a spell." Hermione spoke up primly.  
  
Draco immediately turned to her. "No one asked your opin-"He paused in the middle of his rant. "You think they should be."  
  
"Yes, Malfoy. Got a problem with it?" she sneered.  
  
Draco shook his head and sat in shock. "Well then. We have just about finished with the potions section."  
  
She pulled out her wand and tapped Draco's notebook with it and immediately information started to pile out of it. The notebook took the shape of a cauldron, and above the cauldron were holographic images of their group, presenting their stand and information behind their research.  
  
"That's great, Pansy! You and Harry did a great job!" Hermione praised, in awe at the holograph. Draco grunted his approval while Harry and Pansy exchanged looks of satisfaction.  
  
As the group went over the transfiguration project, the air in the room eased a bit of its tension. Hermione and Pansy were on the same level, both sharing the same dry sarcasm, while Draco and Harry continued with rivalry insults. By the time they finished, Hermione and Draco were left alone in the room to gather the information and prepare it to be presented by the next week.  
  
"Surprised you agreed with my potions choice." Draco grunted.  
  
"You shouldn't always assume you know someone if you really don't." Hermione replied with her know-it-all smirk plastered on her face.  
  
"Hah. I know you better than you wish I did." He replied with the same haughtiness.  
  
"Vise Versa."  
  
Hermione grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. It was at that moment that Draco cornered her against the wall and looked into her eyes closely.  
  
"God Granger. What is with you? You are always seeking me out... as if to taunt me. Taunt me because a mud blood is to be my equal." He spat as if she were getting under his skin.  
  
"You don't think I feel the same, Malfoy? You... you... you are despic-"This time Hermione was cut off by Draco capturing her lips with his own, taking advantage of her open mouth to slip his tongue in. Hermione quickly regained her posture, returning the kiss and fighting for control over him with her own tongue.  
  
She wrapped her hands around his waist, bringing him closer to her while he moved his hands from her cheeks to her hair. He was always fascinated by her hair... so wild and carefree... like Hermione herself. He had always wanted to touch it and here he was touching it and kissing the girl who owned it. Pure heaven... This was when he brought himself to his senses and broke the kiss.  
  
He stepped back from her, letting his hand fall to the side. "You kiss like a girl." Was all he said with a scowl of amusement.  
  
"As do you." She replied, turning around and walking out the door. Draco shook his head with a genuine smile on his face as he waited a few minutes before following her suit.  
  
*~*  
  
Hermione found Harry, Ron, Lavender, and Pansy sitting in the large House room chatting as if they were old friends. She noticed that Pansy and Harry were sitting unbelievably close, and Ron kept looking over at Harry with a sly grin. Hermione walked over to the table and put her things down and looked over at the group.  
  
"What's going on, guys?" She asked curiously.  
  
"We are just speculating on why Snape and McGonagall paired all of us." Ron replied, raising his eyebrows at Harry. Harry's ears burned bright red, while Pansy leaned forward on her elbows with a slight smile.  
  
"Oh? I thought you guys already figured it out? It has to be for inter- house relations." Hermione said, shrugging her shoulders as if it were obvious.  
  
"So we all are playing into the Professor's hands." Lavender commented.  
  
"Well I don't know about you lions, but we serpents never had intention of befriending you guys, of all people." Pansy remarked.  
  
"Never trust a serpent." Harry put in, quirking an eyebrow at Pansy who nodded slowly and replied,  
  
"Correct."  
  
Ron sighed with a grin still on his face. "Well at least one good thing came out of this. I met my one true Lav... err... Love." Lavender rolled her eyes as Ron leaned close, puckering his lips as if to kiss her. She playfully slapped him on the arm.  
  
"Yeah that's all good and gravy, Ron." Hermione said sarcastically.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Granger? Jealous?" A familiar voice came from behind Hermione.  
  
"Malfoy would you PLEASE stop following me? I don't want to go out with you, I THOUGHT I told you that." She replied, fake exasperation dripping from her voice.  
  
"You wouldn't be saying that if Dumbledore was standing behind you." Draco replied with the same humorous voice. Hermione immediately jumped up and turned around, noticing no one there but Draco.  
  
"Argh! You bastard!" She exclaimed, reaching her hand back to slap him. Draco dodged out of the way, but Hermione still advanced on him. He then started to skip around the room while she chased after him. "Come back here, Draco! I mean it! Come back here!"  
  
"Bets that Hermione will get Draco?" Ron suggested. Everyone else just groaned.  
  
*~*  
  
By the end of the week, everyone knew that Pansy and Harry were dating. A peculiar relationship it was at that. Pansy took the role as queen, of course, and Harry didn't object, though Harry kept his respect by not following Pansy around like puppy. Despite the fact that Harry was the Golden Boy of Hogwarts and Pansy was the queen of Slytherin, they weren't the couple everyone focused on. Nope... it was, rather, Hermione and Draco. Of course Hermione and Draco immediately denied this and this caused them to argue even more. So much that it was a daily ritual and students would gather in the Great Hall just to watch the two of them argue.  
  
When this reached Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape's ears, they were pretty peeved. It wasn't Harry and Pansy they planned to get together, but Hermione and Draco. It was time for some drastic action and this was the right month for it. February. The fun was just about to begin.  
  
Hogwarts was taking a look for the better. Professor Flitwick was in charge of charming the castle to be more romantic for Valentine's Day, which was approaching rather quickly. Only two weeks left till the day. Pansy and a few other prefects assisted him with the charms, while the Head Boy and Girl planned the Valentine's Day dance. Everything was in frenzy, and everyone loved it. Since Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, a Hogsmeade trip was planned the Friday of the V-day weekend. All third year and above were pretty excited for this, wondering what they were going to wear to the dance. Of course through all the frenzy, no one noticed McGonagall and Snape plotting ways to get Draco and Hermione together.  
  
"It's time for PHASE II of our plan, Severus. Hey! Severus... listen to me! I'm talking here." McGonagall waved her index finger in the air as if to scold the irritated Professor Snape. Of course with one look from the older teacher, Professor Snape looked as innocent as a little kid.  
  
"Anyway... do you have the potion ready?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"Yes, yes... Here. I doubt it will work. Mr. Malfoy just doesn't fancy Ms. Granger in that way." Snape growled, tossing Minerva the small vial. The transfiguration teacher only ignored him and looked over the potion before tossing it back to Professor Snape.  
  
"Very well. You're dismissed." Professor Snape dragged his feet out of the room, mutter something under his breath that she couldn't hear.  
  
*~*  
  
"Man... Hermione is cutting Malfoy real good." Ron sniggered, popping some popcorn shrimp in his mouth as he observed Draco and Hermione in the middle of the Great Hall.  
  
"Sure... but Draco isn't cutting any slack." Pansy replied, trying her best to look uninterested.  
  
"Wah, wah, wah... Go on and cry to your daddy." Everyone heard Hermione say, her fists balled at her sides.  
  
"Potty! Weasel! Help me! It's a monster!!" Draco ran around in circles, pulling out his 'frizzy hair'.  
  
Hermione stuck her nose in the air. "Ugh! Malfoy, you make me sick!" Draco stuck his tongue out childishly. Hermione shook her head and stalked off and out of the Great Hall, everyone staring at her as she passed. Her face was rather flushed from the arguing and most swore they could see a small blush forming on the girl's cheeks.  
  
*~*  
  
It was yet another night in the library. Draco and Hermione were sitting across from each other, as usual, reading books to their liking. This ritual was like a set understanding between the two of them that neither of them could break.  
  
"Malfoy?" Hermione asked suddenly. Draco didn't even bother to look up, turning the page in his book.  
  
"What do you plan your career to be? Besides living it rich off daddy's money." She asked in the most amused way. She had a small smile playing on her lips that Draco noticed from over the top of his book.  
  
"Maybe an Auror." Draco replied sarcastically with a sneer.  
  
"Cool... I'm thinking I want to be a death eater." Hermione nodded slowly, turning the page in her book.  
  
"Great... I promise I'll be the one to kill you when we have the Great War." Draco put out.  
  
"Not if I don't get you first." She had a full face grin on then, leaning back in her chair.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes and stood up, walking over to her chair and standing before her. She looked up at him, her eyebrows raised expectantly. "I doubt you'll kill me first." He drawled. "You'd first have to trap me..."  
  
Hermione took the bait, replying rather quickly. "I don't think that it'll be too hard." She stood up herself, rather close to him.  
  
"That's what you think... Granger." He sneered, his typical smirk appearing on his face. Hermione quirked an eyebrow, lifting a hand as if to slap him.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh..." Draco tsked, grabbing her wrist, and the other one for safe measure. He leaned close to her ear, whispering so that his breath tickled her skin. "Go to the Valentine's Day Ball with me..." Hermione was rather shocked and was about to ask why when Draco swept his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him and taking her lips onto his.  
  
Hermione was stunned for a few seconds, as he used the moments to dominate the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She quickly regained her composure, battling her tongue with his to gain control over the kiss. After a while, with Draco in charge, he broke off the kiss, his lips drawing into his smirk. "I take that as a yes."  
  
And with that, he left, Hermione not being able to say anything.  
  
After a second or two, Hermione started to fume realizing what he did. He put a silencing spell on her. Argh! That bastard!  
  
*~*  
  
"With this potion, that the majority of you did NOT brew correctly, the drinker should gain magnified power for approximately twenty-four hours, unless it was brewed stronger. Now even if you mess this up, it won't hurt you... Thankfully." Professor Snape walked down the aisle between Ron, Lavender, Neville, and Seamus's table with a glare. All four of them looked at their purple bubbling potion, wondering how it didn't turn the deep red it was supposed to turn.  
  
"Cups up." Professor Snape ordered, everyone dipping a cup in the potion and taking a sip. Hermione raised her eyebrows as a sweet taste drizzled down her throat. She looked over at Draco curiously, wondering if he got his correct.  
  
"I want a 7 page essay on the effects of this potion! If yours did not turn out right, you'll have to do some research. Class dismissed!" Everyone jumped up, rushing out the room. Hermione followed, wondering what to test her powers with. Hmmm... Okay... no wand. She looked over at Draco and cocked an eyebrow with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Slap yourself on the hand..." She mentally told Draco, wondering if he'd listen.  
  
Draco stopped suddenly, looking around. "Why should I...?" He thought to himself, before the thought came again. He then slapped himself on the hand, rather surprisingly, then realized that it was Hermione's voice. Bitch! How could she? That wasn't even the Imperius Curse! Draco was shocked at the audacity he had to even answer to her voice!  
  
He looked back at her and then waved his hand, as if acknowledging her. She giggled, taunting him, not realizing that he had the same mischievous look. Suddenly a gust of wind blew, blow her robes up, exposing her long legs. She gasped, before pushing her robes down.  
  
"Malfoy! Argh! I'm going to kill you!!" She stuck her hand out, and made a bunny sign with her index and middle fingers. Draco wrinkled his nose as two white fluffy ears popped out on top of his blonde hair.  
  
"Bitch! That's it!" Draco glared at the bushy hair girl who was doubling over laughing, with everyone else. He walked to her, authority crying out in each step. He then swept a arm behind her back, pulling her into a dip. Hermione was rather surprise and stopped laughing, the spell following off for lack of concentration. "I want a 'I'm sorry Draco' right now." Draco demanded, trying to get keep the smile off of his face that threatened to appear.  
  
"Wh-why should I?" Hermione frowned, pursing her lips as if not to give away what she felt. Her heart was thumping rather quickly, a blush rising on her face. Everyone around them stopped, except for Harry who started to rush forward and break them apart. Pansy put a hand on his shoulder as if to stop him, staring intensely at the couple before them.  
  
"Because... I ordered it. And when I order something, I expect you to do what I say." Draco replied, a smile now apparent on his face. Hermione smiled a matching smile, ready with a comeback.  
  
"Oh yeah?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow. He cocked his eyebrow also.  
  
"Yeah." He replied, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"I guess I'll just have to pick out a dress for the ball then..." Hermione drawled, snaking her hand behind his head. They closed the gap between each other, coming together into a kiss. Everyone around them gasped, surprised at what was before their eyes. Draco ran his fingers through Hermione's hair, a ritual that he loved to do so much. Not that he would admit it or anything. Same as Hermione, twirling a lock of his hair around her index finger as they wildly kissed each other with passion.  
  
They finally broke it off, Draco not taking his eyes away from Hermione's. "I'm going to wear green. So make sure you wear red or something like that." He said, trying to sound as strict as possible.  
  
"Yes, My Lord." Hermione replied, sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She straightened herself, backing out of Draco's embrace. She then remembered that there was a class full of people in the hall way, plus other bystanders who were watching the scene unfold.  
  
"Wh-wh-what are you guys looking at?!" She snapped, stuttering slightly.  
  
When no one answered, Draco stepped in with a little word of advice to the onlookers. "Hey! Don't you guys have something else to attend to? Go stuff Weasel in a Potty or something." He sneered, laughing at his own joke.  
  
"Hmph! I don't need you to stick up for me, Malfoy!" Before Harry or Ron could reply to Draco's taunt, Hermione said this, walking off as if nothing happened.  
  
"Huh? Oh! Wait! Granger! You can't just walk off me like that! Who do you think you are?!" Draco's voice started to fade into the background as he scampered behind the girl. A loud explosions was heard and also an evil laugh from Draco.  
  
"Well... They certainly make a weird couple." Parvarti Patil announced after a moment's silence.  
  
"I told you they were dating! I don't know why no one guessed!" Lavender put out, latching onto the gossip. Everyone started to chatter about it, the crowds starting to disperse.  
  
"That was rather interesting..." Ron commented, scratching his head in confusion.  
  
"Pay up, Potter." Pansy looked rather amused, holding her hand out to Harry.  
  
"Okay so you were right... don't think you'll be right next time." Harry growled, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a galleon. He placed it in her hand, to which she grinned and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Thanks!" She giggled.  
  
"Betting on Ferret Boy and Hermione, eh Harry? I bet Hermione would like to know that!" Ron hooted.  
  
Harry's nose turned red, as did the tips of his ears. "You wouldn't!"  
  
Ron laughed, nodding to say he would. Pansy and Lavender giggled as Harry started to burn red as... well a Weasley.  
  
*~*  
  
Through all this... an elderly figure sits in his office and laughs. What a lovely event this was.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The following fic is in response to Fic Request #67 which stated the following conditions:  
  
Rating(s) of the Fic: PG-13 to R  
  
3-5 Things to Include in the Fic:  
  
1)Sarcasm. Heaps of it, between Draco and Hermione.  
  
2)Professors Snape and McGonagall playing matchmaker.  
  
3)Side pairing of Harry/Pansy.  
  
4)Quirky but supportive Ron.  
  
What Not to Include in the Fic:  
  
1)Slash.  
  
2)Death.  
  
* * * * * 


End file.
